Medal of Freedom Bestowed to President Zelenskyy & Ukrainian People
Los Angeles – The Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC) and Museum of Tolerance (MOT) honored Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services,Eddy Cue, with the 2022 Humanitarian Award, the organization’s highest honor.
Humanitarian Award honoree Eddy Cue (3rd left) with Rabbi Meyer May, SWC Executive Director, Jeffrey Katzenberg, DawnArnall, SWC Chair, Aaron Marzwell, SWC Co-Chair, Rabbi Abraham Cooper, SWC Associate Dean and Global Social Action Director and Irving Azoff. (PHOTO: ABIMAGES)
Master of Ceremonies James Corden thanked everyone for attending and for “supporting the vital work being done by theSimon Wiesenthal Center” (PHOTO:ABIMAGES)
Also receiving honors were Ukrainian President Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people (Medal of Freedom) inrecognition of their courage and unyielding defense of democracy and Rabbi Moshe Margaratten (Medal of Valor), pictured left with American rapper/songwriter and actor, LL Cool J, for hishumanitarian work saving the lives of hundreds of Muslims in Afghanistan as well as the lives of Ukrainians caught up in the horror of war. (PHOTO: ABIMAGES)
American rapper will.i.am with SWC Board Chair Dawn Arnall and Dinner honoree Eddy Cue. (PHOTO: ABIMAGES)
Adam Levine and James Valentine of Maroon 5 performing (PHOTO: ABIMAGES)
Also in attendance were leaders and members of the entertainment industry including LL Cool J, will.i.am, Jeffrey Katzenberg, JJAbrams, Tony Vinciquerra, Michelle Yeoh, Chris O’Donnell, Richard Plepler, Jason Blumethal, Peter Guber, Larry Baer, Skip Paul, Jim Gianopulos, Jon Feltheimer, Adam Levine, James Valentine, PaulBuccieri, Steve Stoute, and Irving Azoff.
Excerpts of Remarks by Jeffrey Katzenberg, SWC Board Member; Eddy Cue, Honoree; Rabbi Marvin Hier, Founder and CEO; and Dawn Arnall,SWC Chair:
Jeffrey Katzenberg, who has chaired the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Dinners for more than two decade, said, “intolerance has continuedto be on the rise and today, almost no matter where we look, we see it vividly on display whether far off on the battlefields of Ukraine, or right here in Hollywood on the stage of the DolbyTheater. Which is why we need the SWC now more than ever. In keeping with all that the Wiesenthal Center stands for, it is my honor tonight to present the Center’s Humanitarian Award to Eddy Cue.Eddy has, in material ways, helped changed the world for the better... For some 25 years, Eddy has been essential to creating so much of the Appleverse we all value and enjoy…”
Eddy Cue: “It is deeply humbling to be part of an evening with President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people who are being honoredhere tonight. It is a stark reminder of why this Center’s work is so vitally important. For the past 45 years, this organization has been an essential leader in the fight for human rights,promoting tolerance and dignity for all. And ensuring that we remember and learn from the atrocities of the past so that we can prevent them from being repeated in the future. The Center’senormous impact is a testament to Rabbi Hier whose tireless commitment to work is an inspiration to me and so many of you in this room and around the world. I stand here in awe of the work youare doing day in and day out.”
Rabbi Marvin Hier, SWC Founder and CEO and two time Academy Award®-winner: “If Simon were alive today, he would be shocked thatEngland, the country that led the charge against Hitler, just released findings that at least 3 anti-Semitic crimes are committed in the country every single day…that France, a country thatsuffered so much under the Nazi regime, just reported a 75% increase in anti-Semitic attacks, 36% of the attacks carried out against Jews were by their own neighbors…in the heart of Berlin andother major cities, hundreds of protesters attended pro-Palestinian rallies, screaming dirty Jews and advocating violence against the State of Israel causing Berlin’s antisemitism commissioner too say “Berlin has an anti-Semitism problem!”…how prevalent anti-Semitism is right here in America [with] a new report that anti-Semitism incidents have hit a 42 year high across the US…on thefirst day of Passover, anti-Semitic flyers were distributed all over Hollywood and Beverly Hills…in Lakewood NJ, one of the largest Jewish communities in the United States, an observant Jew wasdeliberately hit by a car, and [then] stabbed…Rev. Herbert Nelson II, the head of the Presbyterian Church in the United States, is a notorious anti-Semite…, the leaders of the West, are still soeager to make a deal with Iran on nuclear weapons, when they know very well that all of her leaders continue to deny the Holocaust."
SWC Board Chair Dawn Arnall: “We are living in a world in which the darkness of bigotry and hate is manifested daily in the lives ofpeople in and beyond the United States. The plague of anti-Semitism is more contagious today than at any time since the atrocities of the Holocaust, more than seven decades ago. As believers inand supporters of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, we have the responsibility and the means to make our voices heard above society’s confusion and complacency. We are at a seminal moment in worldhistory when the forces of reason and understanding must triumph over evil and hatred. But for this to happen, it will depend upon us."
Gala Chairs included:
Dawn Arnall, Jim Gianopulos (SWC Board Member and past honoree), Bob Iger (2019 honoree), Jeffrey Katzenberg (SWC Board Member andpast honoree), Ron Meyer (SWC Board Member and past honoree), will.i.am, Steve Tisch, Tony Vinciquerra, Wallis Annenberg, Shelli & Irving Azoff, Ron Conway Family, Sir Lucian & Lady Grainge,Jimmy Iovine & Liberty Ross, Aaron Levie, Richard Lovett, Monique & Doug Morris, Shari Redstone, Lynda & Stewart Resnick, Richard Rosenblatt, Ben Silbermann, Adam Silver and Geoff Yang
Co-chairs included:
Mohamed Alabar, Susan and Jonathan Dolgen (SWC Board Member and past honoree), Michael Douglas (past honoree) and CatherineZeta-Jones, Linda and Jerry Bruckheimer, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Kate McGrath and JJ Abrams, Jon Feltheimer (past honoree), Megan & Peter Chernin, Roma Downey & Mark Burnett, Peter Guber,Richard Plepler, Ted Sarandos, Ann Sarnoff, Jeff Shell, Susan & Eric Smidt, David Zaslav
Former Humanitarian Award recipients have included George and Amal Clooney, Bob Iger, Ted Sarandos, Ron Meyer, Jon Feltheimer, JimGianopulos, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Michael Douglas, Tom Cruise, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, Amy Pascal, Whoopi Goldberg, Brian Roberts, amongst others.
The gala was a record breaking event raising over $3.7 million to support the global work of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and theMuseum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
For further information, please email Michele Alkin, Director of Global Communications at malkin@wiesenthal.com or 310-739-8063.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center is an international Jewish human rights organization numbering over 400, 000 members. Itholds consultative status at the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, the OAS, and the Latin American Parliament (PARLATINO).